11/17/04-Day 2 of the Journey Home

The most significant part of this day was that I turned 42 years old. Yes, readers, 42 years ago, Gma Jan went into labor, but waited until the end of the Jackie Gleason show until she went to the hospital. Thus, I was born in the labor room. Even back then, we saw the legendary “calm in a storm” of Gma Jan.

So, you ask, how did the night go in the crib fort? I have to say, in spite of my ranting (and I’m still not happy) the night went all right. The kids did wake up at times. The biggest issue is that Jack is all over the place, while Grace sleeps basically in a little ball. Every once and a while, Jack would roll over on top of her and she would cry. Gma went in a few times to calm them down and they would go back to sleep. Jack slept until 6, which is earlier than usual, but not bad considering the environment. Grace actually slept until 7. She was so exhausted yesterday, so it wasn’t that surprising. After breakfast and bottle, the kids played for a little bit, but started to get fussy, so we put them to “fort” for a morning nap. They went down with little fuss until we actually had to wake them up at 10:30 so we could get them ready for the trip to the clinic.

Bolat had class today, so his father picked us up for the SOS clinic at 11 for our “11:30 appointment.” Unfortunately, we forgot that we were going to a clinic as all clinics in the world have different sense of time than we do. Our appointment was eventually complete at 1:30. We should have known it was going to take that long. The issue was that we didn’t bring any food for the kids. We had bottles, so that held them over.

Basically, at the clinic, the doctors looked at the records from the orphanage and did a quick cursory exam of the kids. We did get knew weights and lengths on the kids. Jack is up to 8.5 kgms (18.7 lbs), which is up from 18 lbs last month. He is now 72 cms (28.3 ins.), but I can’t remember what he was. Grace is up to 6.6 kgms (14.6 lbs), which is up from the 12 lbs of 2 months ago. She is now 66 cms (26 ins.). I went in for both doctor’s exams which were by different doctors and conducted in different ways. The doctor who saw Jack reviewed the file with me, telling me some of the things we already knew. We did learn that the little indent he has in his back is a scar from having a boil removed. They did not tell us that in the orphanage. She also asked some questions about him, like whether he could sit up on his own. She said his development was pretty normal for his age. The doctor who saw Grace poked around at her (to Grace’s extreme displeasure, which was heard out in the lobby) and then said we were done. No questions, no comments. Fifteen minutes later, we had our files – sealed envelopes we were not to open – and paid and left. Bolat’s father asked if we “passed,” but I wasn’t sure since everything was sealed. I can only assume we did.

We met a very interesting couple in the clinic, the Poindexter family from Virginia. They have been here since the end of September like me, but were in two different cities and orphanages. First, they were in Astana, where they got Sasha, a 9 year old boy. Then, they went to Okul where they will be adopting Zerrina, a 4 year old girl. In Okul, a very small town in the north, they lived at the orphanage, since there was not other place to stay. They also ate at the orphanage where all meals consist of some combination of potatoes, rice and cabbage. Meat is never served. (Please go back through my journal and find any place where I complained and stamp it “Shut up you big cry baby!”) They were in Almaty to take care of Sasha’s exit process. They will fly back to Astana for Zerrina’s court date, after which they will take Sasha back to Virginia. Then, after the next waiting period, the husband will return with her older daughter (27 years old) to pick up Zenia. I was very impressed with them and their commitment to what they were doing.

After we got home, we just hung out. After we fed the kids, I went on a search dinner for Gma and I. I went back to the area where I went to the market last night. I went into the restaurant and asked, in my best pantomime, if I could get something to take out. The waitress said no, which mean either they don’t have take out or she thought I was asking her out. In either case, I sheepishly walked out. Outside the restaurant and market, there is a stand known for its kebobs. Unfortunately, they had none, but they were roasting chickens in a large oven. I was able to ascertain that it would be another 10 minutes, so I went into the market to get some sides for our chicken dinner. I picked out two cold salads – one was beef noodle dish and the other was some kind of chicken salad. I then went back to the stand and got our chicken, which they put in a brown paper bag inside a plastic bag. I walked home and Gma and I sat down and enjoyed our dinner. Later, we put the kids back in the fort and all went to bed. Thus day two came to an end.